Enthusiasm For Gospel: Acts 14

Paul is still on his first missionary trip with Barnabas. They’ve just left Pisidian Antioch and continued their journey to Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. In each of those places there became division among the people – some stirred up by unbelieving Jews (from Antioch). Some division came about because the people in Lystra and Derbe were thoroughly pagan and worshipped idols (Zeus, Hermes, etc.), but even those were stirred up by the zealous, unbelieving Jews from other places.

In Acts 14:4-7 we get a description of what had happened in Iconium: “But the multitude of the city was divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone thme, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; and there they continued to preach the gospel.” There are two groups who are zealous and passionate about their tasks.

First, the Jews from Antioch followed Paul and Barnabas, and with zeal continued to stir up leaders and Jews and Gentiles against the preaching of the apostles (Paul and Barnabas in the sense that they had been “sent out”). They traveled long distances on foot to oppose the gospel. They went to extremes to do so – even to the point of stoning them. They did not settle for the apostles leaving their town; they pursued them at great lengths and tried to refute their message wherever they went. That’s having a passion for the work they were doing, although a misguided work.

We also see the zeal and passion in the work of Paul and Barnabas. They continued to preach the Word of God in the midst of persecution, controversy, and death threats and plans. Even as they fled one town to go to another, they “continued to preach the gospel.” (verse 7). Then, when done in Derbe (after a several months of time there preaching and establishing a church), they returned to the towns where they had been driven out. They boldly met with the believers appointing elders and teaching the disciples. They were not deterred by fear, but knew that as long as they continued to do God’s will, they would be protected by God. They would probably have been protected by God if they had chosen to return to their starting point via an easier and shorter way, but God was leading them back to the disciples that existed in the towns they had already visited. This was in order to do follow up.

So my question for myself is, “Am I zealous and passionate enough about my ministry?” I need to be at least as zealous as those who wanted to shut Paul and Barnabas up. I fall far short of that standard. I think many Christians in our world today take it for granted that someone else will carry the message; you know, those whose job is full time ministry. Isn’t that why we have pastors, missionaries, itinerant preachers? But the example for us is to be witnesses, zealous and passionate witnesses, wherever we are and whatever we are doing. I’m going to work on being more passionate about sharing Christ this week. What about you?